The Power of our Networks
Yesterday we sent an article off to our publisher as part of a series we’ve been doing. In that piece, I touched on the power of networks. While I don’t always say it well, in many ways I believe the networks we form of family, friends and colleagues are the single most powerful tool we possess.
Chris Brogan had a great post on the topic this morning.
The Vital Importance of Your NetworkBack in June, I wrote about whether companies will value your personal network.
It’s a topic I think about constantly because I’ve seen time and time
again the value of my own network. I use some amount of that value
every day. And I spend a portion of each day threading the social needle.Two great posts over the last few days show me that it’s not just me thinking about this. Tim Sanders says we should refresh our network often, and Jeremiah Owyang reports on the the risks and opportunities
inherent in your network. It’s all pointing towards the same thing:
you’ve got to think consciously about how you use social networks, and
you have to build relationships that are decoupled from goals.
The power of our networks rings true across so many facets of our life. Yesterday, as we talked about a friend of ours, another friend, David Beckemeyer posted a simple Twitter message “Need help locating my missing 92 Yr old Aunt” with a URL enclosed that links to this post on his blog –
Need help locating my missing 92 Yr old Aunt
RILEY, MARGARET/ 92 YOA / DOB 11/30/1915
Missing from her Regina Way address in Grants Pass, OR. since 7/12/08.
Margaret lives alone, she is considered an endangered missing person.
ANY INFORMATION ON MARGARET RILEY’S
WHEREABOUTS
PLEASE NOTIFY,
GRANTS PASS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
AT (541) 474-6370.
WFA, 5’03 HT, 145 LBS, GRY, BLUEOfficial missing person’s report here: http://www.bdt.com/MISSING-PERSONS-FLYER-RILEY.pdf
The car is gray (silver/gray) (I don’t know why the flyer says “tan or blue”)
I’ve known David for a long time, and this heartwrenching post drove me to immediately share it across all my social networks. It’s an example of how we can all pull together to share important news. It isn’t always good news. It isn’t always bad news. But the power of our network is the power of the human collective.
For several months I’ve tried to start each day with a simple reminder to myself to do something good and nice for someone each day. With the power of our networks and the people we interact with, it’s easier than we often realize. Even through light contact online, we touch many people each day.
Let’s be nice to each other today. And let’s find David’s aunt too.
